


The Final Challenge

by needleyecandy



Series: All's Fair [2]
Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Injury Recovery, Intersex Loki, M/M, Serious Injuries, Vaginal Sex, the violence and injuries are a good thing in context
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:32:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/pseuds/needleyecandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the end, there could only ever have been one real challenge, and only one way to succeed.</p><p> </p><p>This will make a lot more sense if you read <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3300497">Love at First Fight</a> before it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Final Challenge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dorkylokifan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkylokifan/gifts).



> I'm sorry this has taken so long - it's been in progress since early March, but it was cantankerous. 
> 
> Also, dorkylokifan, when you requested a sequel I assume you weren't picturing them beating the living daylights out of each other, so if you'd like me to take you off of here just let me know. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Thor kept the North Star at his left shoulder as he rode. He turned back once, to see if Loki was watching him go, but both Loki and the giant tent were already gone. He didn't mind. It meant Loki was waiting for him. 

The mountains seemed normal enough at first. He knew there were mountains in this area, and their craggy rocks melted easily into the broad plains below. It was when he turned into a narrow pass and smelled ice on the wind, ice that had no place here in the sultry desert, that he dismounted and sent his camel wandering back into its native warmth. 

He strode onward. The path grew tighter as high cliffs soared up above him, until he was forced to go sideways, the rough boulders scratching at his armor. Just when he began to think it was going to narrow too far for him to pass, the rocks fell away and Thor stood at the edge of a vast ice expanse. 

Laufey and Loki stood waiting for him. Laufey wore his ceremonial robes. Loki wore his armor. 

Thor met his gaze with level eyes. "You're my final challenge," he said. 

Loki bowed his head gracefully. "My own idea, from the day I got my first suitor. Father allowed me to determine one challenge. This was my choice." 

"Because you would rather die than be defeated, and because you could never wed one you could defeat," Thor answered. 

Loki smiled. "You know me so well, already," he said. 

"As I know my own heart," Thor said. "Shall we begin?" 

"Of course," Loki replied. He held out his hands. Into the left shimmered a sword, into the right an axe. Thor shook his head _no._ He wanted no weapons but their own bodies in this fight. 

Loki smiled and Thor watched as the weapons faded back into nothingness. 

Thor lunged suddenly, his right fist swinging for Loki's jaw. Loki did nothing to avoid it; he stepped forward into the punch and brought his arm around, slamming his knuckles into Thor's left kidney just as his head was thrown back by Thor's punch. 

Loki was thrown onto the ice, a fountain of blood spurting from his nose. Thor stayed standing, but the punch had given him a wave of nausea. It was not kindness that made him stand still, fighting his stomach, while Loki pressed a handful of snow to his nose and stood. 

Loki's next attack was a swipe of his foot at the back of Thor's knee, trying to bring him down. Thor had to take a quick step forward to recover his balance, but he still stood. Loki ducked as Thor's fist shot forward. 

Loki grinned and shrugged. Thor smiled and attacked. 

This fight was completely different than the last, where their weapons offered them the distance they now lacked. It was fast and dirty where before it had been smooth and elegant. Within an hour they were on their knees, grappling in bloody slush. Loki's perfect nose was a mess, the bone now well to the left and the skin discolored. One of Thor's radiant blue eyes was blackened and swollen shut. And still they fought. 

Loki flung a handful of the filthy, bloody snow into Thor's open eye. He didn't see it in time to dodge, so before Loki could attack again he lunged forwards, grabbing blindly, and felt the sickening pop of Loki's shoulder dislocating. 

Loki slipped from his grasp as he wiped at his eyes. It took a revolting force of will, but he braced the arm on the ground and forced the joint back into place. 

"Enough," Laufey commanded. He looked faintly green. "The challenge is done." 

Thor shook his head. "No, I don't think it is," he said. 

Loki smiled and smashed in Thor's kneecap with the hard point of his boot. "No, it's not. But we're getting close." 

Thor grabbed Loki's ankle in both hands and twisted. "Yes, close." 

In the end they both had to be carried, unconscious, to the ice palace. They woke in beds next to each other. Healers were working quietly around them. The broken bones had been set. The soft tissue damage took longer to repair, but even that was starting to heal. 

Thor found he could, with difficulty, peel both his eyes open. He turned his head to watch over Loki as he rested. 

He was halfway back to dreaming when he realized Loki was looking at him. "We did it, Loki," he said, smiling broadly. 

"Oh good, I missed your teeth," Loki mumbled, and fell asleep. 

The next time Thor woke, Loki was looking at him. His pain was nearly gone, though he was still bone-weary. "Congratulations," Loki said. "I knew you would be the one to survive." 

"With some help," Thor pointed out. Without the food and rest Loki had given him in the desert, this would have been far harder. 

"Only enough to level the playing field." 

"Still. Thank you." 

"I didn't do it for you," Loki said. 

Thor woke next to find Laufey speaking quietly with his son. He kept his eyes shut until they were alone. 

"He's gone," Loki said at last. 

"How do you feel?" 

"Better. Tired, but better. And you?" 

"The same. May I join you?" 

"Of course," Loki said, sliding to one side of his bed. 

Thor sat up slowly, giving his head time to stop spinning. He glanced down to find that he had been washed and dressed in a simple linen shift. He would have hated it but for the thought that Loki would likewise be so little dressed. "How long?" 

"Have we been here, you mean?" 

Thor began to nod and quickly thought better of it as a pain shot through his eyes. "Yes." 

"About three weeks." 

"That long?" Thor asked. 

Loki smiled fondly. "You broke over a quarter of my bones. I ruptured several of your organs. It takes time to recover." 

Thor rose onto wobbly legs. They shook, but held. He walked, step after careful step, across the space that divided them. He sank gratefully down and fell back to sleep. 

They were roused by the smell of food. Sweet and creamy and mild, like porridge. Food for children, not warriors, but after so long without, Thor supposed it was for the best. 

The attendants helped them sit up, cool hands tucking pillows behind them for support. Thor started as the first spoonful of food met his tongue; as mild as it had smelled, the taste was anything but. Loki chuckled beside him. 

"It's terrible, but it's worth it. There are few foods on Jotunheim that are half so nutritious. You will feel better for having eaten it," Loki said. 

Thor braced himself as he opened his mouth for another bite. It was quite possibly more unpleasant than when Loki had smashed his knee in. Just eating was more exertion than he could have imagined, and by the time the bowl was empty and a glass of water was held to his lips, he was so tired he could barely drink it. 

He woke up on his back. The attendants must have lowered him from sitting after he had fallen back to sleep. It was much easier to shift to his side than he had expected, and he glumly concluded that perhaps Loki had been right about the strengthening ability of the porridge. He lay still, watching Loki's face as he slept. 

Loki's eyelids twitched with a dream, and Thor watched the long black lashes brush over his sculpted cheekbones. He ran his gaze down Loki's nose - returned now to its normal size and placement - and settled on his lips. He longed to touch them, to run the tip of his finger all around them, to press his own lips to them and coax them open. He stared, lost in thought, until the corners quirked upwards. He looked up to find Loki watching him back with amusement. 

"You like the view?" Loki asked. 

"Very much," Thor answered. And then he did what he had wanted from the moment they parted, back on the sands of Egypt. He leaned forwards and kissed Loki. He forced himself into a slowness he couldn't decide if he wanted. Just this simple brush of lips was exquisite, so perfect it was nearly impossible to think of anything but getting lost in it. Yet contradictory urges flooded him, demanding more, demanding everything. Before their secret meeting, he had known Loki would fuck like perfection; having that knowledge confirmed through experience made delay all the harder. 

Loki made up his mind for him. Cool lips parted against his own and a warm tongue slid between, licking gently until Thor gave way, his own coming forward to meet it. Loki made a soft, questioning sound, and Thor's blood surged. He wrapped his arm around Loki's waist, pressing his hand into the valley at the small of his back. His fingers traced lightly across the triumphant scarification that ornamented Loki's body. 

"There have been only two battles in which I did not earn scars. Both have been with you," Loki murmured against his lips as they at last broke apart. 

"You've got one on your thigh where they had to pin the bone," Thor pointed out. 

"That will have to do," Loki whispered into Thor's mouth. He reached down to tug at the hem of Thor's gown. Thor raised his hips for Loki to pull it up. When he lowered himself to raise his arms, the cool air across his chest was followed by cooler lips. Loki's teeth - sharper than those of an Asgardian, he hadn't even noticed before - rolled a nipple between them until it was taut. When the second one had received the same treatment, Thor groaned. 

"Loki, please," he said, reaching for Loki's gown. He had it off quickly, smiling at Loki's expression. "You look like the cat that got the cream," he said. 

"I don't know what those things are," Loki said. 

"You will like them both," Thor said. 

And then it was his turn to tease and taste. Loki's nipples were smaller and tighter than his own, and they flushed a dusky violet beneath Thor's attentions. Even as he licked and nipped, he couldn't help thinking forward to their lives together. He would share with Loki all his favorite things, and he would learn Loki's in turn. He wanted to see Loki's armory and show Loki his armor. He wanted to taste Loki's favorite food and watch as Loki took his first sip of Thor's favorite mead, sweet as Loki's skin as he shifted and moaned beneath Thor's touch. 

Thor let his hands wander further down, feeling his blood surge as he again felt those lovely petals blossoming in welcome. Loki's hands, in turn, slid down Thor's back until he was toying lightly with Thor's entrance. Thor moaned softly, well remembering how exquisitely Loki had taken him. 

"How would you like this?" Thor asked softly. 

"How would you?" Loki replied. 

Thor smiled. "Everything. All of it, all of you. So if you have a preference..." 

Loki answered hooking his ankle over Thor's and sliding his leg up until his knee was resting on Thor's thigh. "Give me what I have waited for," Loki said. 

Thor reluctantly left off his caresses, bringing his cock where his fingers had been. He met Loki's brilliant red eyes, and Loki nodded. 

It was more difficult than Thor had expected, and he pushed harder. The resistance gave suddenly, and he stilled at Loki's sharp inhale. 

"Was that...?" Thor asked. His voice was husky. 

"I told you, I couldn't risk a child." 

"I didn't realize. I mean, on Asgard, we have things to-" 

"Shh," Loki cut him off with a finger on his lips. "It doesn't matter now." 

It did matter to Thor, and he suspected, from the look on Loki's face, that it did in fact matter to him as well. Very much. 

"I don't want to hurt you," Thor said. 

Loki laughed, though it was shaky. "How many of my bones did you break? I can stand a little pain to get my desires," he pointed out. "Go on." 

So Thor pressed in, his unblinking eyes not leaving Loki's for a single second. Loki's words were true, but it was equally true that this was _different_ , and while Thor had been willing enough to fight for what they wanted, Loki had given as good as he got on the battlefield. Here, it was Loki alone who hurt, and Thor was loathe to add to it. But the tense pained frown quickly left his brow and his gaze burned into Thor's. Thor forgot his thoughts as he was lost in slick, soft warmth. 

"Oh, Loki, you feel-" Thor broke off. There were no words for how Loki felt, for how all of this felt. Their meeting in the desert had brought pleasures beyond imagine. And now here, in this slightly lumpy medical bed, he found them again, burnished by the knowledge that this time there would be no parting. He had passed the trials and he was Loki's and Loki's was his, and so they would always be. 

Loki's leg tightened around his own, holding them tight and still together. "Wait," he said. "Let me get used to it." 

"Take as long as you need," Thor said. It was difficult to hold himself back when every instinct was urging him to draw back and thrust in, to feel that warmth grasping at him, to push his way back into such tightness. To fill and coat and to claim Loki as deeply and fully as Loki had claimed him. 

A thousand things passed across Loki's face as Thor watched, and he drank down each one as though it were the richest mead. Loki caught his eyes and nodded. "All right. I'm ready," he said. 

There were airy gasps when Thor drew slowly back, breathy sighs as he slid back in. It was impossible to know who they were coming from, like their entire beings were joined in this. Soft sounds blurred into soft motions, lips pressing into open-mouthed panting kisses, hands tangling in hair and teasing and grabbing. Loki gave a ragged smirk when he discovered the full sensitivity of Thor's nipples. Thor gave a growl of pleasure when he turned it into a deliciously round O as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across the velvet head of Loki's cock. 

" _Thor._ That's good, but I need more..." Loki murmured. 

Thor's heated lust boiled at Loki's words. With one hand he grasped the leg that was thrown over his thigh, and in a single swift motion rolled them, still together, so that Loki lay on his back. His eyes were as hot as the need that thrummed through Thor's veins, and Thor put his hands on either side of Loki's head to bear his weight. 

"Yes, yes, that," Loki hissed as Thor thrust in with a groan. "Keep doing that, I'm getting close." He wrapped his legs high around Thor's waist, tilting his hips upwards, ready for Thor to fall, to sink right down inside him inevitable as gravity itself. 

Thor did not need to be told of Loki's closeness. Loki's body was in constant, sinuous motion as he curled and rose to meet Thor and as he simply _writhed_ from the tension building up, taking him high and closer, and he was getting _so_ hot inside, so so hot, and so wet that Thor had to take care to remain within. 

Loki's climax hit with a startled _Oh!_ and then he was shaking in Thor's arms, his whole body trembling with it and he squeezed, clenching down on Thor's cock with each new wave of pleasure that threatened to overtake him. It was impossible to resist, and Thor felt the tension that coiled in his belly tighten and constrict until it shattered, sending him soaring after Loki into dizzying bliss. In the midst of it, he somehow found himself vaguely aware of Loki spilling across his stomach. And what _that_ did to him... he was aware of nothing else until it was over, and he was sagging onto Loki and panting and Loki was staring up at him in awe. He leaned down for a soft kiss before withdrawing and slumping to his side. 

When Thor had collected himself enough to speak, he gave Loki a lazy grin. "How soon can we marry?" he asked. 

"Sometime after we can walk, I expect," Loki answered. His voice was unexpectedly gentle, and he reached up to smooth a stray lock off Thor's forehead. "Rest now. We will be well very soon." 


End file.
